I find it impossible to believe that any student could do a hospital placement on postnatal ward without hearing about GBS. It is one of the most common reasons (the other being Mec) for doing regular neonatal observations postnatally ("baby obs").

Some students have even said in this thread that they had heard it mentioned but didnt know much if anything about it. In year 1 I never cared for a woman with GBS and knew of the term but never covered it in practice so just knew it was an infection until I went away and read about it myself.

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I have never seen GBS obs on a baby in PN period. The most common reasons for obs that I have encountered are Mec obs which you correctly state and PROM obs. Once you have completed your first year of training you might see more of these types of observation being carried out?

First year students will have heard of GBS but will not know a lot about it IMO In the first year we generally tend to focus on the normal aspects, not complications. You must have had a really busy first year to have had so much exposure to GBS already? I am now a second year, and we have just started to talk about it. From what i see this site is helping raise awareness of issues surrounding GBS, and not promoting a particular point of view at all. It is pointing you in the direction of resources, for which I am grateful as it is not an easy subject to grasp due to contradictory opions, guidelines, theories etc.

Babies die from GBS. So why not take a blanket approach, much the same as the WHO has done with the administation of vitamin K. If it saves a life surely it is worth it?

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Site Administrator, Student Mentor Scheme Manager

STMW 2nd year - no, really!

I have to agree with others and say this is not at all uncommon at the beginning of training. I would actually suggest that this is quite a condescending attitude to new students and fails to foster a good debate, which is what we like to encourage, as they may think that they are 'silly' if they don't know.

Rather, issues like this are often only learn't after you come across it for the first time. I certainly knew nothing of the effects of Cholestasis for instance until I encountered it in practice and then took it upon myself to find out more about it. This was in year one, and we didn't cover the topic until year 3 of our training.

I also find that general support groups are a great place to begin looking for information as it is usually written for the sufferer or layman to understand. Once you have a basic understanding, you can then look to develop that knowledge.

KS x

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Kentish Spitfire
Moderator, Student Services
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"It's better to be thought a fool - rather than proved a fool!"

What a fascinating debate this has turned into. I'm sure that the reason behind the thread was to allow student midwives the opportunity of gaining some insight into some of the things that we may encounter and to give us a chance to read further about GBS. We are also gaining some information about GBS from a charity that has ben patroned by some very well known and thought of Health Professionals.


It is always good in my opinion to gain insight into how parents have been affected because we will be caring for them and it would be foolish to dismiss their concerns and feelings. We would also be able to provide them with information about a site for parents offering help and support.

I see no reason why people cannot choose to support this charity as we all can make our own judgements.

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Coffeebean xx


Student Midwife

I'm just suprised, because in my unit it is a completely standard part of postnatal ward handover if a woman is GBS+ve (i.e. the fact that she is GBS+ve, any other risk factor, did she have IV antibiotic cover in labour, and 4-hourly baby obs for 12 hours, how many obs done, how many still to do, when due). So, I'm suprised anyone could get through a postnatal ward placement without knowing about GBS unless prevelance/detection of GBS was very low in your area.

Not intended to be condescending, just an expression of suprise.

So does your trust routinely screen for GBS in the antenatal period then?
KS x

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Kentish Spitfire
Moderator, Student Services
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"It's better to be thought a fool - rather than proved a fool!"

Not routine screening, but women in some categories (e.g. PROM, preterm, previous history) are screened and cases are picked up incidentally.

I have to say I agree with the others, that the more insight we have in to GBS the better, surely!!
I have to be honest and say that I have never even heard of the condition, but I am extreamly intrested to find out as much as possible about the condition GBS
very interesting debate really enjoyed reading it.

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Super Moderator.

Definitely, the more information people have about GBS the better, but there also needs to be recognition that information comes with a bias, and in the case of the GBS support group, they are the parents of children who were detrimentally affected by GBS infection. As long as we are aware of that bias, then it will inform the way we look at the information.